Betsy the Bonneville randomly shuts off. help! (fixed)
#1
Betsy the Bonneville randomly shuts off. help! (fixed)
I have a 1992 Bonneville SE and she has been in and out of the shop for the past month because the old girl will just cut out while driving. There are times she fires right up and no problems, but when she'* bad, she'* baaaaaad. I finally brought her home last night and on the interstate she decided to cut out 4 separate times. No real warnings or anything. The odometer drops to zero and I just cruise until I am able to kick it into neutral and fire back up. It typically smells like gas when I am trying to start it for a few seconds.
The first time I went it looked to be the valve stem screw (i forget the technical name) so the car seemed fine, for a day, and then back to the same issues.
The next time I went the mechanic found the radiator fan motor to be bad and changed that and no, still the same issue.
When I took her to Tire Kingdom they told me it was the IAC motor, they wanted to charge me $400, so I took the sneaky route and went to a local (ASE certified) mechanic and had the part changed for $150. Needless to say, that was not the issue either.
I then changed the spark wires, still no.
I then got fed up an tried a new mechanic, this guy claimed it was the fuel pump and wanted to charge me $300 plus parts, so I got a second opinion and was told there is no way its the fuel pump and that he was almost certain my problem lied with the crankshaft sensor. I had that changed, drove to work yesterday with no issues! hooray. then on the way home HERE WE GO, the same damn issues again. I am literally broke and just need my car fixed! can anyone point me in the right direction????
The first time I went it looked to be the valve stem screw (i forget the technical name) so the car seemed fine, for a day, and then back to the same issues.
The next time I went the mechanic found the radiator fan motor to be bad and changed that and no, still the same issue.
When I took her to Tire Kingdom they told me it was the IAC motor, they wanted to charge me $400, so I took the sneaky route and went to a local (ASE certified) mechanic and had the part changed for $150. Needless to say, that was not the issue either.
I then changed the spark wires, still no.
I then got fed up an tried a new mechanic, this guy claimed it was the fuel pump and wanted to charge me $300 plus parts, so I got a second opinion and was told there is no way its the fuel pump and that he was almost certain my problem lied with the crankshaft sensor. I had that changed, drove to work yesterday with no issues! hooray. then on the way home HERE WE GO, the same damn issues again. I am literally broke and just need my car fixed! can anyone point me in the right direction????
#2
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I would say the fuel pump is your next item to fix. The Crank sensor is the normal culprit. Is the engine light on. Smelling gas does have me worried. Maybe a leaky gas line.
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First question I have is this. When the car shuts off does it sputter and then kind of die, or does it shut off like a switch was flipped? If it sputters and then dies, I would be looking at the fuel system. Test the fuel pressure. Could be a bad fuel filter, < $10, or a tired fuel pump, just a guess but around $150. Changing it is not real bad if you have tools. You will likely break the strap bolts and possibly the straps because you need to lower the tank to get to the fuel pump.
If it cuts out like a switch was flipped, then it'* electrical. Check to make sure your battery cables are tight and clean. If they wiggle and creates a open circuit the car will shut off. Crank sensor does cause this, and it should have been tested before it was replaced. A cam sensor is possible, but again should be tested first. I have seen engines shut down because the ignition harness moved a bit and shorted on the harmonic balancer. Seen this a few times after a crank sensor replacement.
If it cuts out like a switch was flipped, then it'* electrical. Check to make sure your battery cables are tight and clean. If they wiggle and creates a open circuit the car will shut off. Crank sensor does cause this, and it should have been tested before it was replaced. A cam sensor is possible, but again should be tested first. I have seen engines shut down because the ignition harness moved a bit and shorted on the harmonic balancer. Seen this a few times after a crank sensor replacement.
#4
it sputters when it struggles to turn on, as for when it turns off; it just seems to die. Then occasionally it starts right back up, other times it struggles to start back up. The mechanic hooked up a gauge to the valve and the pressure didn't change when the car died, he assumed this to be his reasoning behind the "not the fuel pump", or so he said.
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If the fuel pressure is not dropping, then it'* not fuel related. So now concentrate on the electrical side. It'* either loosing power, or spark. Start with the battery cables.
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This stuff happened to me a couple of months ago (and is a bit over documented in the Chevy forum). I'm not expert, but I'll put my vote in for getting your crankshaft position sensor looked at. If its that, it will start and restart a few times, but one day, it won't start back anymore (luckily, all my episodes happened near home)
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22 tps sensor signal voltage low
41 cam sensor circuit fault, igntion control circuit fault
43 knock sensor
58 vehicle anti-theft system fuel enable circuit
67 a/c pressure sensor circuit or a/c clutch circuit failure
68 a/c compressor relay circuit failure
I would start with the throttle position sensor, that could cause some odd running issues.
41 cam sensor circuit fault, igntion control circuit fault
43 knock sensor
58 vehicle anti-theft system fuel enable circuit
67 a/c pressure sensor circuit or a/c clutch circuit failure
68 a/c compressor relay circuit failure
I would start with the throttle position sensor, that could cause some odd running issues.